Kakashi's Love
by KimiHeartblade
Summary: This is the story of my OC Shiori Sayomi who's world gets flipped upside down when she's just six years old. Thanks to Minato Namikaze and Kakashi Hatake though she is brought to Konoha where she should be safe. But how long that will last is unclear as she is pretty special, after all not many villages have a wolf demon. KakashiXOC. Bit of both anime and manga in this.
1. The Village Hidden beneath the Full Moon

The rain fell hard around Konoha and it's forest. A harsh thunderstorm had hit early on in the night and had yet to let up. Hiruzen stood at the window in his office watching the rain come down. It wasn't long till he heard loud noises coming from outside his office causing him to look back towards the door. "Hm?" he said blinking a bit wondering what was going on out there. Soon a large wet wolf skidded through the door with two anbu trying to catch it. "Get off me you humans! This is an emergency!" shouted the wolf as it kicked one with it's back foot. "Let it be." said Hiruzen realizing that it was a wolf summon. "Thunder demons are attacking... several of the Sayomi clan are already dead... Toshi, his mate Michiko, and their children are still alive though... I don't know who else is alive or not. The smell of blood and rain has made it hard to determine where the enemy is and where the others are..." said the wolf not wasting time in stating the emergency. Hiruzen realized now that the rain was from the thunder demons and the attack had been happening for a while now. Quickly he sent for Minato who came as quickly as he could. Minato was a fairly tall, fair-skinned man with blue eyes and spiky, blond hair. The bangs of his hair were jaw-length and framed both sides of his face. "I need you to go to the Village Hidden Beneath the Full Moon and back up the ANBU who are helping to defend the village, Minato. Can I count on you?" said Hiruzen hoping that it was not too late. "Of course, Lord Third. I'll go there immediately, however... I'd like permission to bring my pupil, Kakashi Hatake along." said Minato. "Kakashi Hatake hm...? Sakumo's little boy..?" said Hiruzen as he stroked his short beard a bit. "Yes, I have heard that he is quite the genius. Graduated the Academy at the young age of five years old, that is so reminiscent of the Sannin. I will allow it, I hear that his skills make him easily Konoha's strongest Genin." "Yes, sir." said Minato nodding his head a bit.

Soon Minato and Kakashi were heading through the forest towards the Village Hidden Beneath the Full Moon as fast as they could. Kakashi wore a sleeveless tight navy blue shirt with a mask attatched that covered the lower half of his face. On his arms were navy blue arm warmers that had bands around the wrist and elbow of them. He wore matching navy blue pants along with navy blue ninja sandals. On his forehead was a navy blue Konoha headband. "Sensei? Why would demons attack a village allied with ours?" asked Kakashi wondering what was going on. "The thunder demon tribe are enemies of the Sayomi clan. During one fight with them a past head of the Sayomi clan killed the tribe leader." said Minato as they rushed through the rain keeping their guard up. Kakashi kept up with Minato while listening. "We were allied with them during that time. This was back during the time of the Second Hokage. The Sayomi clan's head died of his injuries and his son, Satoshi, became the new clan head. I'm not really sure why the thunder demon tribe hates the Sayomi clan so much... it could be something as simple as an ancient dispute over land." "I've heard that demon clans fight, but a rivalry that's lasted so long? I mean, a dispute over land... why don't they just come to a compromise instead of all that fighting?" said Kakashi as he blinked while following Minato. "Sometimes it's not that simple Kakashi... The Sayomi clan has a lot of enemies... the thunder demon tribe... panther demon tribe... enemies of Konoha are also their enemies. There are probably other wolf demons out there that are enemies with them." said Minato answering it as best he could.

Kakashi continued to follow and listen to Minato while thinking about what he'd been told. "There's even one of their own clan that's enemy to them now..." said Minato not slowing down despite the rain coming down harder. "Really?" said Kakashi surprised that even one of their own had become essintally a missing nin. "Yes. Wolf demons hunt all kinds of animals, some even hunt humans. Naturally humans fought back.. the Sayomi clan however never had a taste for humans. But that didn't stop humans from attacking them. They hunted the Sayomi clan." said Minato explaining some history of the wolf demons. "But why? You just said they didn't hunt humans... they weren't a threat to anyone." said Kakashi not understanding why the clan was hunted so. "That's just what happens when fear enters your mind... it clouds your heart and drowns out the sound of your own intuition. Humans are born with the ability to live fearlessly, to move forward gracefully and to hear our inner voice - and trust it. But years of heartache and tough lessons often force us to fear first and listen last. And because of that we can often make others around us suffer." said Minato wisely. Kakashi began to understand now why the wolf demons had been hunted. That reason was only because they looked like other wolf demons that had hurt people.

Soon they approached a large gate with a wolf's head on it and Minato signaled for Kakashi to remain silent. Through the rain they could see that there were many wolf demons laying dead but there were also thunder demon corpses as well. Quietly they moved through the trees watching for the enemy as well as any of their allies. "Hurry, get away! We'll hold them off for as long as we can." came the shout of a ANBU. "Okami, go find your sister and head to the Hidden Leaf Village, we will meet you there." came a man's voice. Despite the situation the voice was calm and collected. "But father..." came a teenager's voice. "Go Okami. This is not up for debate." said the man. Okami remained silent before heading off to find his sister. "Toshi.. are you sure that Shiori is alright?" came a woman's worried voice. "Yes Michiko, I'm sure our daughter is safe. She's small and fast. I can only hope she's on her way to the Hidden Leaf Village." said Toshi comforting Michiko the best he could. Through the rain a teenage boy with silver hair that cropped over and covered his right eye ran as fast as he could. In his hair two fuzzy wolf ears could be seen as they twitched listening for approaching attacks.

He wore a black sleeveless shirt with white fur emblazoned on the left shoulder. The shirt was longer on the right side and extended down past his right knee. He wore matching black pants that had a small hole in the back allowing room for his fluffy silver wolf tail. Toshi and Michiko were soon running off in a seperate direction clearly hoping to lead any enemies away from their children. Minato landed in a tree where near where the Anbu had been and found they were all dead now. "Looks like we were too late... " muttered Minato as Kakashi landed next to him. The Anbu looked to be in pretty bad shape wound wise, even if they'd made it a split second earlier the Anbu would have died of their wounds. "We need to help the remaining wolf demons we'll go after the boy we saw running from here." said Minato hoping that they weren't too late to save anyone else.

A small girl with long silver hair and small fluffy wolf ears was running as fast as she could manage through the village. She wore a black sleeveless shirt, black arm warmer gloves, and matching black pants with a hole in the back for her tail. She screamed a bit in fear as she was grabbed by a teenage boy in elaborate armor. "Hehe, Look Manten. We found a little lost puppy." sneered the boy as he held the girl tight. Struggling in the teenager's grasp she could see she was out numbered two to one. The other one, that was refered to as Manten, was a rather ugly demon, with almost reptilian features and a large bald head. He wore armor similar to the first boy however, his was a different color. His shoulder pads were roughly shaped like cogs, with spikes roughly in the shape of the letter "z" or a lightning bolt. He also had two pads on his forearms which extend over the top of his hands. These were bound by grey rings to his arm. On the left plate was a blue gem and on the right was a red gem. A series of light blue sashes were tied together in bows connected from his shoulder pads to his waist. Over the sash around his waist was a fox demon's pelt.

The other boy's armor was orange where Manten's blue. Instead of a plate on his right arm it was attached to the right shoulder pad and like Manten's had a red gem. He too had a series of light blue sashes that were tied together in bows connected from his shoulder pads to his waist. The ends of this final, waist sash hung down towards his knees. There are two shorter ends, and hanging down from the main knot are two longer ends which pass down beyond his knees. Tied to his waist sash on either side of his body were two, very long feathers that probably came from a bird demon. The first boy looked very different from Manten. He had long black hair which he had pulled back into a braided ponytail, and two short strands of hair that fell on both sides of his forehead. He had small pointed ears which had earrings dangling from them. The girl noted that he could pass for human if not for his incisors which were quite long, even for a demon of his type. She struggled more trying to get out of his grasp. "She's a pretty fiesty puppy huh, Hiten?" said Manten noting how she continued to fight to get free. "Yeah she is. The way she's acting she may have rabies. Maybe we should put her out of her misery." said Hiten coldly as the girl struggled more. "Let go!" cried the girl as she kicked with all her might. Hiten's eyes bulged slightly as her kick connected with his crotch.

He dropped the girl and fell to the ground holding himself and she took off running. "Brother! Are you alright?!" said Manten rushing to his brother's side. "Oh, just fine... I can barely breathe and I feel like I'm gonna throw up, of course I'm not all right! I got kicked in the nuts Manten!" growled Hiten as he lay on the ground holding himself. "That little brat is gonna pay for this..." The girl ran and hid behind a tree hoping they wouldn't be able to find her. "I hope... everyone's okay... I want momma, daddy, and big brother... they're really strong they'd protect me..." she thought as she cowered behind the tree. "Well well what do we have here?" came a female voice which made the girl jump. The woman wore a blue kimono with a floral pattern unlike the thunder brothers the girl had seen before, this woman wore no armor. She had long raven black hair pulled back into a pony tail. On her left hip was a sword. "S-stay back..." said the girl as she backed away slowly from the woman. She could tell by smell of the woman she was with the thunder demons so that made her a threat. "I'm warning you..." The woman laughed at the girl's last remark. "Oh and if I don't?" said the woman smirking as she eyed the girl. "I'll kill you." came Okami's voice as he leaped out of a nearby tree landing in front of the girl.

The girl's eyes lit up as she saw Okami. "Big brother!" she cried happily as her tail wagged a bit. "Stay behind me Shiori." said Okami as he watched the woman before him. "Hmm... seems more of you survived than I thought... No matter, I'll finish you two off myself." she said coldly while drawing her sword. Quickly she attacked slashing at Okami's throat. Okami moved quickly and blocked it with a kunai knife. With her sword being held off he quickly moved to sweep her feet out from under her. The woman jumped back and narrowed her eyes at Okami. "Hmph... you're faster than I gave you credit for dog boy.." she said shifting her feet slightly. "My name is Okami Sayomi. Eldest born and the next head of the Sayomi Clan. You're not fighting an "average" wolf demon.." he growled as he kept his guard up. The woman smirked and moved to attack her speed was much greater than before however instead of moving to attack Okami she lunged at Shiori. Okami's eyes widened and he moved instinctively in the way to protect her. The thunder demon's sword peirced Okami's center and Shiori's eyes widened as she watched her older brother fall before her eyes.

Shiori's body froze up as her heart rate began to increase. The woman pulled her sword from Okami's center and his body fell to the ground with a thud. Shiori's sclera changed from white to crimson red and her irises became black slits with white pupils. The woman glanced at Shiori as jagged purple stripes began to appear on the sides of her face. Shiori let out a low menacing growl as her fangs and claws lengthened. It was clear from the growling and the look in her eyes that a feral rage had been triggered. The woman moved to try and kill Shiori but Shiori was much faster and she avoided the attack. Letting out another growl she lunged at the woman and pierced her chest with the claws of her right hand. Minato and Kakashi landed nearby just as Shiori pulled her claws out causing the woman to fall to the ground bleeding with a hole in her chest. Shiori growled as she turned her attention to Minato and Kakashi. She wasn't in control of her senses and Minato could see that. "Kakashi stay back..." said Minato as he watched Shiori carefully. "W-what's wrong with her?" asked Kakashi as he noticed her red eyes and sharp claws. "She's in a feral rage... right now her only thought is kill or be killed..." said Minato glancing over to the bodies near her. "That woman must have triggered it... but now that she's dead or dying she's no longer any interest to the girl..."

Shiori kept her attention on them as blood dripped from her claws. Normally she'd reconize the Konoha headband but due to her feral state she couldn't reconize those around her as friends or enemies. "Stay back Kakashi, I'll have to seal the memory that triggered her feral rage... I don't want you to get hurt." said Minato deciding to handle this on his own. Kakashi's eyes narrowed a bit at being told that. "Minato-sensei, I can help! Let me distract her and you can prepare your seal." said Kakashi clearly not wanting to just sit there. Minato sighed a bit as he thought on that, his student was always so stubborn and headstrong despite only being a Genin. Even if he was a prodigy Minato didn't feel right allowing Kakashi to put himself in that much danger. "No, Kakashi... If something were to happen to you, I could never forgive myself..." said Minato standing firmly by his decision. Kakashi stomped his foot a bit. "But Sensei!" he said still being stubborn. Minato looked back to Kakashi as he stood in front of him. "No buts, Kakashi. I'll handle this, you cover my rear in case the enemy comes up from behind." said Minato sternly. Shiori growled at them as she looked at the two of them. It was clear she was sizing them up and trying to decide who to attack and kill first. Her eyes landed on Minato as he seemed to be preparing to attack.

Growling she moved to attack him with her claws. As she moved to attack, Minato stepped to the side and in the process tapped a pressure point in Shiori's shoulder with two fingers, marking her with his Flying Raijin seal in the process. "You're pretty speedy, but I think you'll find that I'm not so easy to catch." Minato said confidently. She growled again as she noted this one was faster than her last enemy. Though she noticed his speed her mind could only think of killing him. She moved to attack again aiming for his throat. It was clear that she'd continue fighting until her body either gave out or until she was killed by another opponent. "This must be the first time she's been triggered into a feral rage.. Normally a full blooded wolf demon isnt in this state for this long..." thought Minato as he watched her movements. Minato disappeared in a flash of yellow and appeared behind Shiori. Quickly he made the necessary hand seals then touched the base of her skull. Shiori stopped moving as her memories were being sealed away. "That's it just relax.." said Minato soothingly as Shiori began to change back to normal. Her claws and fangs began shrinking back to their normal length and sharpness. "Ngh..." she said as her eyes changed back to their normal coloring. Minato took his hand off her and she collapsed unconscious. Minato caught her and gently lifted her in his arms.

Minato sighed sadly starting to doubt if any others had survived at all. "Let's take her back to the village..." he said as the storm began to slow to a drizzle. "It looks like the thunder demon tribe is retreating..." Minato turned and started heading back towards Konoha with Kakashi following after. "Sensei.. you mentioned before one of the Sayomi clan broke a rule.. what rule was that?" asked Kakashi as he kept up with Minato. "He killed humans.. even some of his own clan... " answered Minato. Kakashi swallowed a bit. "Let's not worry about that right now though.. We need to get her to the village and report to the Third Hokage what happened." Kakashi nodded wondering if Shiori would be normal when she woke up.

Once they were back at the village Minato had Kakashi take Shiori to the hospital to be cleaned up and tended to while he reported to the Third Hokage. Kakashi watched as the medics cleaned the blood off Shiori she was apparently pretty lucky as none of the blood on her was hers. "Do you know what her name is?" asked one of the nurses. "Only her last name, Sayomi." answered Kakashi as they made sure she had no injuries. Shiori was then placed in a hospital bed to rest. Kakashi sat there for a little bit knowing his sensei would come to check on the girl. "Ngh..." said Shiori as she sat up rubbing her eyes. Kakashi watched her quietly wondering what she'd do. Shiori looked around blinking a bit wondering where she was. "W-where am I?" she asked as she noticed Kakashi. "You're in Konoha." he told her calmly. "... M-my name's Shiori Sayomi.. who are you?" she asked timidly. He could tell she was frightened he couldn't blame her though. She'd just woken up in a strange place with no idea how she got there. "Kakashi Hatake." he answered. Shiori sat there quietly for a moment trying to think. "U-um... do I have a mom and dad?" she asked finally. She'd been trying to gather her thoughts and figure out important things like where she lived or if she had family.

Kakashi thought hard on what he should say, usually he would just tell the truth as it wasn't right for ninja to lie. But this girl's family was all most likely dead, and so he had no choice but to lie due to the circumstances of her rage. "Your family sent you to the village, with hopes of you becoming a fine Shinobi... Your family is currently travelling the lands in hopes of escaping some hunters on their tails. But the Hidden Leaf Village will help them get away, the wolf demons and hidden leaf village have been allies since before I was born." he said hoping that would be what Minato would have told her. The girl blinked a bit and her wolf ears folded back a bit. "But I don't remember them..." she said curling her knees up to her chest. "I remember my name... that I'm not human... I remember lots of things just not them..." "It's natural to have memory loss after a traumatic event like being separated from your family, we were attacked on the way here. That's why you're in the hospital right now, my Sensei and I saved you from death." Kakashi said trying not to sound too emotionless, despite having experienced the loss of loved ones himself, he had shut himself off emotionally. "Oh.." said Shiori her tail wagging slightly at the thought of she'd remember eventually. "Thank you for saving me then." She smiled sweetly making it hard to imagine that just a little while ago this girl killed a full grown demon by herself.

Kakashi remained silent, as he looked off to the side quietly. "It isn't me you should thank, I just did what the mission entailed me to do, Minato-Sensei and Lord Hokage should be the ones you thank." said Kakashi with his usual tone of voice. "Still you helped so I have to thank you too." she said smiling as Minato came in with the Third Hokage and another man. Shiori blinked a bit as her nose twitched at the new smells. She looked at them curiously her green eyes full of innocence as she wondered who they were. The man with them was tall with peach colored skin, he had short black spiky hair. His face was heavily bandaged around his forehead and the right side of his head, covering both his right eye, right cheek, and right ear completely. His left eye was reddish brown. He had a distinct X shaped scar on his chin in the center. He wore a black long sleeved haori enclosed by a purple sash at the waist, the back collar of the haori had a distinct spoon shape stopping midways of the back of his head. Shiori's nose twitched more as she looked at them. Minato smiled seeing she was awake and seemed to be alright. "It's good to see that you're awake and alert now. I'm Minato Namikaze, do you remember anything about what happened?" he asked smiling to her.

Shiori shook her head which made her little wolf ears flop slightly. Minato was secretly glad as this meant his memory seal had worked. "I see, do you remember your name?" he asked her hoping she at least remembered that. "My name's Shiori Sayomi.. " she said watching them as her tail flicked cutely and her nose twitched. Minato smiled warmly at that. "It's nice to meet you, Shiori. This is the Third Hokage, the leader and strongest shinobi of our Hidden Leaf Village. And this is a member of the Hidden Leaf Village's highest council, Danzo Shimura." he said smiling. "You three smell funny..." she said bluntly. Hiruzen stared blankly for a moment, before starting to laugh pretty good. "Yes, I suppose we do smell a bit funny, and you have been through a lot, young Shiori.." spoke the Third Hokage in a kind voice. Danzo was rather unamused at the child's antics, but did find it very interesting to observe a child of the Sayomi Clan so closely. She wasn't quite what he expected, she was so small and innocent looking. The only way you could tell she wasn't human was the wolf ears and tail. "Kakashi told me that my family is running away from some people though and that his sensei and him kept me safe when they brought me here." she said her tail flicking cutely.

It was clear she wasn't quite as scared anymore. She'd at least warmed up to Kakashi and to the Third Hokage who had just laughed off her bluntness. Minato looked to his young six year old student and smiled. "Yes, that's what happened alright. We met up with you and your family in the forest, and then parted ways so that we could bring you here, to the Hidden Leaf. We were attacked by demons along the way, however... I believe their names were Manten and Hiten. They called themselves the thunder demon brothers. And attempted to take you hostage, Kakashi made a distraction and I rescued you from the demons. Then together, Kakashi and I defeated and drove them off." Minato said, rather impressed with his young student's care for the young girl who'd just possibly lost her family. Hiruzen smiled a bit as well. "Yes, you've had quite the eventful day Shiori. We will have to set you up with some temporary caregivers while you are here and learning the ways of the Hidden Leaf Shinobi." said Hiruzen smiling softly. Danzo seemed to be formulating something already as he watched the young girl. "This girl would make an excellent addition to ROOT... With her in my organization, I can keep the Hidden Leaf Village safe for many a year..." thought Danzo quietly to himself.

Shiori smiled a bit at how nice they were being to her and hoped that who ever would look after her would be just as nice. Shiori sat and scratched her ear cutely like a wolf or dog would showing she had a lot of wolf like mannerisms. Minato smiled at the child's wolf or dog-like tendencies and looked to the Third Hokage. "I would gladly take care of Shiori, Lord Third." he said smiling. Hiruzen seemed a bit weary of that decision. "Are you sure, Minato..? I mean...perhaps you should discuss that with Kushina first." said Hiruzen with a small twinge of concern in his voice. But Minato chuckled lightheartedly. "Do you honestly think Kushina would be able to say "no" to a face like that, Lord Third?" he said smiling and motioning to Shiori who was making the cutest face as she scratched her ear with her foot. Shiori smiled as she sat like a cute little puppy. Kakashi blinked a bit at how she was sitting and started to wonder if she'd be just as much trouble as a puppy. Hiruzen thought on it for a moment. "Hm..., very well then. I'll allow it. I'm certain you and Kushina will give the child a good home, Minato." he said softly. Minato smiled happily and bowed to the Hokage. "Thank you, Lord Third! We'll take good care of her." said Minato happily.

Shiori stretched a bit as she listened quietly, she was curious to what this Kushina person was like. "Come on Shiori. I'll take you to see Kushina. I'm sure you're hungry too by now." said Minato smiling. As soon as he mentioned hungry her stomach growled loudly much louder than one would think for a small child. She quickly climbed out of the hospital bed and followed him her bare feet making a little sound on the hospital floor. As they walked through the village Shiori looked around cutely while she kept up. "So how old are you?" he asked her smiling softly. "Six." she said smiling as she looked around taking in the different sites and smells. "So she's the same age as Kakashi." he thought as they walked. Soon they came to a decent sized house and Shiori's stomach growled again. "I smell food. Yummy food." she said while her nose twitched. Minato laughed at how cute she looked. "Kushina's probably cooking now. Come on let's head inside." he said leading the way smiling.


	2. Shiori's New Home

Minato and Shiori headed inside where Shiori's nose twitched more at the smell of food. She looked around wondering where the food was her tail twitching happily. Minato headed towards the kitchen with Shiori hot on his trail in hopes of food. Once they stepped into the kitchen Shiori saw a woman with a slender, but feminine build, fair skin, violet eyes, fiery red hair with strands that framed both sides of her face and a black clip that parted her hair to the left, keeping it out of her eyes. She wore an outfit consisting of a high-collared, sleeveless blouse under a long, loose-fitting dress. The blouse was slate blue while the dress was tan. She also wore a wristband that was black on her left wrist and shinobi sandals that were black as well. The woman blinked a bit as she saw Shiori with her cute little wolf ears and her twitching nose and tail. Shiori tilted her head slightly as she realized this woman was the one with the food. Shiori then noticed a pot of stew behind the woman with a ladle placed on the counter. Shiori darted around her and climbed on a chair to see the stew better wondering if she would get to eat some. The woman blinked at how fast Shiori moved to the food, rather than staying to talk, she could tell that Shiori was very hungry. "Um... is there something you forgot to tell me, Minato?" She asked a bit curiously, while Minato was scratching his head and chuckling. "Well, that's erm... Shiori Sayomi, she's a Wolf Demon from the Village Hidden Beneath The Full Moon, I uhm... sort of volunteered us to take care of her, since she has nowhere else to go." said Minato smiling a bit.

The woman blinked then she turned her attention to Shiori who's tail was swishing back and forth. "Can I eat now?" said Shiori cutely as she looked to them. Minato sweatdropped at her question. "Um... well first... Shiori this is Kushina." said Minato introducing her. "Hello." said Kushina smiling softly to Shiori. Kushina understood that if Shiori had nowhere else to go that something must have happened that Minato would tell her about later. Looking at the child Kushina noticed that she could use a good bath before getting some warm food in her stomach. "Why don't we get you a bath first? Minato could you stir the stew for me a bit while I help her with a bath?" said Kushina smiling. "Sure." said Minato going over to the stew to stir it as asked. Shiori blinked and sniffed herself. "I don't smell bad." said Shiori wondering why she needed a bath. "Erm..." Minato replied, not sure how to react to Shiori's sniff test. Kushina chuckled a bit. "Smelling bad isn't the only reason to get a bath, Shiori. You look... scruffy right now, it means you look like you're a hobo, which is bad. You're not a homeless begger so you shouldn't look like one either." said Kushina smiling softly. "Oh." said Shiori blinking a bit. She didn't feel scruffy but then again she was just rescued so her tail fur was probably sticking up all over the place.

Shiori climbed out of the chair and followed Kushina wishing she could eat first. Kushina led Shiori to the bathroom. Shiori looked around wondering how she'd bathe here. She was used to going to a nearby stream to bathe rather than a bathroom. Kushina turned the knobs on the bathtub faucet making water come out and Shiori blinked watching cutely. Kushina tested the water making sure it was just right so it wouldn't be too hot for the child. "Alright, now get undressed and get in the tub. I'll help you wash your hair." said Kushina smiling sweetly. Shiori blinked and started to pull off her gloves and shirt. She wasn't shy after all Kushina was a girl too and she'd bathed lots of times with her mom, well she figured she did. She didn't think she had anything Kushina hadn't seen before. Shiori placed her clothes next to the bathtub then climbed in. The water was warm which made Shiori smile she liked that it was warm. Kushina picked up a pink bottle and squirted some of its contents in her hand. Shiori wrinkled her nose a bit. "That stuff smells really funny." said Shiori watching Kushina. "This is shampoo it'll keep knots out of your hair and make it smell better." said Kushina as she gently rubbed it into Shiori's hair being carefull not to get it in her ears. Shiori doubted that it'd make her smell good as it didn't smell like anything she'd smelled before. "Are you sure? Cause it stinks..." she said honestly. "It smells like berries." replied Kushina as she worked a good lather into Shiori's hair.

Shiori blinked and sniffed again. "Doesn't smell like any I've smelled before. Someone lied to you.." said Shiori. It was clear she had no filter when it came to speaking. Kushina sweatdropped a bit she could tell now that Shiori was going to be a bit of a handful. Kushina then began to rinse Shiori's hair out. Shiori sat there as Kushina washed her hair. "You have very pretty hair Shiori." said Kushina smiling softly. "Thank you. I like your hair too it's red like a flower." said Shiori smiling cutely. Kushina smiled she liked it when people complimented her hair. "Thank you." she said while smiling. She took another bottle down from the counter and grabbed a wash rag and squirted its contents on the rag. Shiori's nose wrinkled again as she realized Kushina had a lot of funny smelling things. Kushina worked the rag into a lather and handed it to Shiori. "Use this to scrub be sure to get under your arms." said Kushina smiling while she began to wash Shiori's tail a bit. Shiori sniffed it and quickly pulled her head back a bit and looked to Kushina. "Yes yes, I know it smells funny." said Kushina cutting her off. "But I'm starting to get the feeling a lot of things are going to smell funny to you." Shiori smiled a bit Kushina seemed to be really nice. Once Shiori was done scrubbing Kushina helped her rinse off and get out of the tub so she wouldn't slip.

Kushina took down a big fluffy towel and wrapped Shiori in it and helped her dry off. "I'll need to wash your clothes then we can brush your hair out then go eat alright?" said Kushina as she smiled to Shiori. Shiori nodded cutely while staying wrapped in the warm towel. Kushina left the bathroom with Shiori's clothes and Shiori following her cutely. Shiori watched as Kushina put the clothes in a washing machine which Shiori watched with a cute look on her face. Kushina knew now that Shiori was going to have a lot to learn now not just about the village, but about various objects as well. Shiori sat and watched it cutely clearly fasiniated by it as it spun round and round. Kushina stifled a giggle at how adorable she looked. "That's called a washing machine. And this is called a dryer." said Kushina as she pointed to the dryer. Shiori blinked and listened. Kushina took Shiori's wet clothes out of the washing machine and put them in the dryer. Shiori's gaze followed her clothes cutely which made Kushina smile as she started the dryer. Shiori watched the dryer till Kushina took Shiori's clothes out of it and handed them to her. Shiori pulled her clean clothes on and smiled feeling how arm they were. Kushina led the way back towards the living room and grabbed a hair brush on the way there. "Alright sit here in front of me and I'll brush your hair out." said Kushina smiling softly.

Shiori sat in front of Kushina her tail flicking cutely. Kushina started to gently brush through Shiori's long silver hair. At first it was fine the brush moved through smoothly and then she hit a knot. Shiori yelped and her ears folded back. Quickly she moved and bit Kushina on the hand hard. Kushina's hair began to float a bit as she hit Shiori hard on top of the head. Shiori let go of Kushina's hand and fell backwards with swirly eyes and a large steaming lump on her head. Minato's eyes widened as he heard a loud smack followed by a thud. He quickly rushed out of the kitchen and sweatdropped at the sight before him in the living room. "Uhm.. K-Kushina-chan... y-you could've held back a LITTLE..." he said looking at the helpless wolf demon child. "She bit me!" said Kushina holding up her hand with a fresh bite mark on it. Shiori sat up rubbing her head and once her vision cleared she quickly hid behind Minato's leg terrified now of the strength Kushina held. "It's alright Shiori." said Minato trying to ease the situation. The last thing they needed was for Shiori to be scared of Kushina. "Yeah I didn't mean to hurt you before. But, you really shouldn't have bitten me..." said Kushina as she doctored her hand a bit. Shiori timidly eased out from behind Minato with her ears folded back. "How about we go eat now hm?" said Kushina hoping that'd help the situation some.

Shiori's ears perked up and her tail wagged which made Kushina giggle. Shiori darted back to the chair she had perched on before in anticipation of food. Kushina and Minato followed after her smiling. Kushina then took out three bowls and set them out on the table and then used the ladle to put stew in each bowl. Minato sat down at the table smiling while Shiori darted over to the nearest bowl happily. Kushina sat down to eat and watched Shiori a bit wondering if she knew how to eat with a spoon or chopsticks. Which, fortunatly, she seemed to know how to do as she chowed down happily. "So what all do you remember about yourself Shiori?" asked Minato as he ate. "Um... I'm a wolf demon... I know I know how to read and write.. how to fight... how to follow my nose... use my ears that sort of stuff." said Shiori before licking a bit of stew off her mouth. Minato smiled a bit glad to hear she knew basics. "Good that means she should be able to keep up with the other students at the academy hopefully." he thought as she finished off her bowl of stew. "This is really yummy!" said Shiori smiling while her tail wagged. "I'm glad you like it." said Kushina smiling even though she was a bit surprised at how fast Shiori had eaten. Minato sweatdropped a bit and decided that the feral rage she'd been in earlier was why she ate so fast. "Is there more? Can I have more?" asked Shiori cutely. "Yes there's more." said Kushina blinking a bit.

Kushina got Shiori some more and watched as she chowed down on it happily like it was the greatest thing she'd ever eaten. "I'm really hoping that feral rage just took a lot out of her.. other wise I've volunteered us to care for a bottomless pit." thought Minato as he watched her. It wasn't long before Shiori had finished that bowl as well. She yawned a bit and rubbed her eyes sleepily. "How about I show you were you can sleep you seem pretty tired." said Minato smiling softly to her. Shiori nodded rubbing her eyes. She'd had a long day so it was only natural that she'd be so tired. Minato stood up and headed towards the hallway. Shiori followed after him yawning a bit while Kushina cleaned up. Shiori kept up with Minato despite how tired she was. Minato opened a door to a guest room where a nice comfy looking bed was. "This will be your room while you stay with us." said Minato smiling. "Okay." said Shiori wagging her tail a bit. She was clearly happy she had her own bed and room. Shiori climbed up into the bed and wiggled under the covers happily. Minato chuckled a bit and helped her get tucked in. "Good night, Shiori." said Minato softly as she drifted off to sleep.


	3. Shiori's First Day

Shiori woke up the next morning stretching happily. She wondered what today would hold for her. It was her first morning in a new village surrounded by new people even if she didn't have any memories of her old village and family. But she had Minato and Kushina to care for her and she met Kakashi so she wasn't alone. She climbed out of her bed headed out to the living room smiling a bit. As she got closer to the living room her nose twitched. She smelled the Third Hokage and breakfast and wondered why he was here, but then wondered maybe he stopped by for breakfast. Shiori's ears twitched slightly when she heard her name mentioned and was curious to why they were talking about her. "I've got everything set up and explained Shiori's situation to the teachers so Shiori can start school at the academy today." came the Third Hokage's kind voice. Shiori came into the living room blinking a bit. "Ah, good morning Shiori." said Minato smiling when he saw her. "Morning." she said rubbing her eyes a bit. "I'm hungry." Minato sweatdropped a bit while he watched Shiori head straight to Kushina. Hiruzen tried to hold a straight face as it was clear Shiori had essentially ignored Minato for Kushina and food. "Well she seems to have adjusted well to living here." said Hiruzen smiling a bit. "I feel I've brought a bottomless pit into the house though. I'm hoping the events from yesterday are why she ate so much last night." said Minato with a slight smile and sweatdrop.

As they walked into the kitchen where Shiori and Kushina were Kushina was giving Shiori a second helping of eggs, bacon and toast already. Kushina smiled it was clear she found this adorable. Shiori was chowing down on the bacon and eggs like she hadn't eaten in days but the look in her eyes when she took a bite of bacon showed she had been won over completely by Kushina. Minato sweatdropped hoping she'd at least leave some for him to eat. "See what I mean?" he said watching her. Hiruzen nodded chuckling a bit at the look on Minato's face. Shiori finished her plate and smiled happily clearly much more awake now than before. "Well Shiori, Lord Hokage has it set up to where you can go to school today." said Minato smiling softly. Shiori blinked a bit her ears were twitching showing she was at least listening. "So you'll get to learn a lot and maybe make some new friends." he added which made her tail wag a little. "Will Kakashi be there?" she asked clearly already fond of Kakashi. Then again he was the first one she saw when she woke up. "No, you see... Kakashi already graduated, he's a Chunin now." Minato said softly. Shiori blinked a bit this was a new word to her at least she couldn't remember ever hearing it before. "What's a Chunin?" she asked tilting her head slightly giving a look that was more at home on a puppy. "Well, Shiori... it's like this. In the Ninja World, we break down our skill levels by rankings. You start out as students in the Konoha Ninja Academy, and then, when you graduate the academy, you make the rank of Genin. Your first step in becoming a real ninja. Genin are placed in three-man cells with two other Genin, it is the most junior rank. Genin typically partake in D-Rank Missions, that have no real threat of harm or death to them." Minato explained calmly to Shiori.

Shiori shifted a bit in her seat sitting like a wolf while she listened intently to Minato's explination. "So is Chunin higher than Genin?" she asked while her tail flicked cutely. It was clear she could understand things pretty easily when explained to her. Minato nodded. "Yes, Chunin is the next rank up from Genin, what most would refer to as a 'real' ninja. Chunin is the middle rank, Chunin are commonly given C-Rank missions, which have some chance of being harmed, mainly by like bandits or muggers, or animals. Nothing too dangerous. Chunin are also allowed to Captain certain small ninja teams for missions as well. Chunin can also do the more dangerous B-Rank missions, provided they have enough experience for them. A ninja becomes a Chunin by taking part in the Chunin Selection Examinations held annually that is observed typically by Lord Hokage himself, or the Kage of the village holding the exams." Minato further explained. "So that means Kakashi's really strong huh?" said Shiori starting to understand Kakashi must have a lot of skill to be Chunin already. She hadn't asked Kakashi how old he was but he looked to be around the same age as her so she figured he must be really strong. "Yes. He's considered a prodigy, he achieved the rank of Chunin at the age of six." said Minato nodding his head. "Wow." said Shiori her ears standing straight up.

She looked a bit excited now about starting school. Minato started to wonder how the other children would react as it would be the first time any of them would see a wolf demon. "Well let's go before you're late." said Minato smiling. "Minato there's something I'd like to talk to you about after you've dropped Shiori off." said the Third Hokage as he turned to leave sounding a bit serious. "Hm? Alright." said Minato wondering what it could be. Minato escorted Shiori to the academy while she looked around cutely taking in everything she could. Once they got to the academy Shiori could see lots of other students all around her age. Several of them looked at her clearly noticing her tail and ears. Minato smiled and gently nudged Shiori to encourage her to go try and make friends with the other students. He knew having kids her own age to talk to and grow with would be good for her. Shiori headed over to the other students while Minato watched a moment hoping this would go well. "Hi!" said Shiori her tail wagging cutely like a puppy's would. Some of the kids blinked and stared at her.

One was average height with brown eyes and spiky black hair, his hair was spiked more in the back and straighter in the front. He wore a powder blue sleeveless shirt with a mesh undershirt and over both a white sleeveless blue collared vest, with long black pants, and mesh leggings with blue shinobi sandals and a blue kunai holster strapped to his thigh. "Hi, I'm Asuma Sarutobi." he said blinking a bit. A girl was standing beside him with long black hair and red eyes that had small pupils. She wore a white long sleeved shirt wth a thorn pattern around the collar that was red and wore black pants with blue shinobi sandals and a blue kunai holster. "My name is Kurenai, um... are those real?" she asked as she pointed to Shiori's ears. "Uh-huh." said Shiori smiling innocently as her tail wagged. "My name's Shiori." So far getting along with the other children seemed easy enough. "The tail too?" asked Kurenai blinking a bit as she walked around behind Shiori. "Of course it's real. Why wouldn't it be?" said Shiori tilting her head slightly. She didn't understand what so odd about having a tail. "It's so fluffy..." said Kurenai blinking. "Whooaaa... it's real?" said one kid as he grabbed and pulled it. Shiori yelped a bit and spun around biting the kid on the hand hard.

The kid cried out and began crying. "Oh brother..." sighed Minato as he facepalmed. Shiori let go once the child started crying and her ears folded back it was clear the sound he was making was hurting her sensitive ears. She didn't draw blood when she bit but it did leave a bite mark. It was obvious now that biting seemed to be a basic go to attack plan when someone hurt her somehow. The teacher came over blinking as the child cried. "What's wrong?" he asked while Shiori whined slightly. "S-she bit me!" cried the child. "And what did you do to make her bite you?" asked the teacher wondering if something happened that prevoked her. "I-... I pulled her tail..." said the child sniffling a bit. "Then you should apologize..." said the teacher softly. "S-sorry..." he said sniffling while looking at his hand. Shiori's tail sagged slightly she felt bad for biting him. He reacted a lot differently than Kushina had. But Kushina also didn't pull her tail. Looking at the child she could see the bite mark pretty clearly and felt worse about it and folded her ears flat again. "Sorry for biting you..." she said as she fixed the fur on her tail. "I-it's okay..." said the child sniffling a bit still.

Soon a boy with spikey black hair burst into the classroom panting. "Obito, you're late! Don't you even care about your grades?!" shouted the teacher. "I-I'm sorry, Sensei!" I was helping an old lady carry her groceries home!" said Obito trying to defend his tardiness. Obito wore goggles with a golden tinted visor on them, he had spiky black eyes with pale skin. He wore an unzipped high collared dark blue Uchiha clan shirt with a white t-shirt on under it. He also wore navy blue shinobi sandals and blue long pants. Shiori blinked a bit as her nose twitched taking in the new boy's scent. Her nose wrinkled slightly as she caught a strong wiff of sweat. After watching for a few minutes Minato decided any other trouble Shiori might get into about her ears or tail the teacher could handle, right now he needed to go see what the Third Hokage wanted to talk to him about.

Minato walked into the Third Hokage's office and found Hiruzen was quiet in thought. "What was it you wanted to talk to me about sir?" asked Minato. "Yes Minato. I've been thinking about what you reported to me. Something isn't right with the attack last night on the Village Hidden Beneath the Full Moon. It's true the Thunder Demon Tribe has been enemies with the Sayomi clan for quite some time but it's far too well planned for them. Usually the Sayomi clan are more prepared for such attacks. Even the ANBU were caught off guard by that attack." said Hiruzen turning to face Minato. "I'd like for you to go back to the village and search for any clues to how this happened and to find some information on young Shiori's kekkei genkai she will need guidance in using it eventually. And we cannot risk any of their secrets falling into the hands of the Thunder Demon Tribe... they may already know Shiori survived their attack and may seek to finish killing the Sayomi clan." "Yes sir." said Minato knowing this was important. With Shiori's survival her clan's blood line would live on and would still remain a threat to the Thunder Demon Tribe and they would eventually return to kill her if they caught wind of her survival. "I'll head out immediately." said Minato which made Hiruzen nod. Minato quickly headed out hoping that if the Thunder Demons did return it would be when Shiori could control herself. He'd already begun to view her as a daughter and wanted to keep her safe.


	4. Survivors

Minato headed through the forest taking the same route he had the night before with Kakashi. He was thankful for the sunshine as it made the route easier to travel than it had been before. He landed quietly infront of the village's broken gates. It was eerie to hear no sounds coming from the village. Minato walked into the village quietly, keeping aware of his surroundings as he looked around quietly, he was no stranger to War, but he had no clue what would await just beyond those gates. Several bodies were laying out in the open a few of them were children at least a bit older than Shiori and Kakashi were. It was clear the Thunder Demons show mercy to no one. The houses seem mostly intact but damaged enough that no one could have hid in them during the attack. Minato kneeled down, checking on them, with a sigh. "...All dead..." he said with a small twinge of anger in his voice as he looked up. Not far ahead of him lay the remains of the ANBU who had helped during the fight some of them have been rendered to nothing but ashes. Minato ran through some hand seals before placing his palm on the ground. "..Summoning Jutsu!" he cried summoning six small toads.

The toads blinked a bit looking around. "Eeeh? Minato, what happened here?! Everybody's dead!" said one of the toads. "...Thunder Demons attacked this village yesterday, I've been sent to look for clues by the Third Hokage... But, I have a secondary goal...spread out and look for any survivors, alert me immediately if you find anyone." he said seriously. "Right!" said the toads each of them hopping off in a different direction. Scattered through out the sayomi clan bodies are several thunder demons showing even though they were taken by surprise they managed to put up a decent fight. Minato sighed, standing back up from his kneeling position. "..I wonder if any of the attackers are still around...I'd better be on my guard..." muttered Minato. In one of the nearby buildings he could hear someone or something rummaging around followed by a slight rattle of chains. Minato fliped his kunai holster open, pulling out one of his special kunai, approaching the building where he heard the noises coming from. "Damn it... not here either..." came a male voice as the rummaging and chain rattling noises continued. Minato readied his kunai as he slowly peered into the building. Inside was a large greyish blue wolf with shackles around his paw ankles rummaging around in drawers the best he could with his paws and nose. "Hm? A talking wolf? It could either be a wolf summon, or a member of the Sayomi Clan in their wolf form... But if it's the latter, why's he all shackled up..?" thought Minato as he watched the wolf.

The wolf growled in frustration. "Wheres the damn bandages... I've searched at least five buildings by now!" he growled before using his large paws to shove the drawers over and spill it's contents on the floor. Minato stepped out of the shadows. "Are there any survivors?" he asked the wolf determining it wasn't an enemy. The wolf growled at him before it saw the Konoha headband. "You're from Konoha?" said the wolf as he sniffed in Minato's general area. "Well you don't smell like a thunder demon would." "No, I was sent by the Third Hokage to investigate the area for clues, but as a secondary goal I decided to look for survivors." said Minato honestly. The wolf poked around the contents on the floor a bit. "Yeah a few survived... My name is Gōsuto. Michiko sent me to find bandages for the injured... namely her mate Toshi. Satoshi sent some of my children out to gather some deer for food and blankets till the injured can be moved to a safer area." said Gōsuto. "I see..." said Minato as he removed his pack. "Don't worry about the bandages, I have a whole medical kit in this pack. If you take me to them, I can treat them as best I can." "Alright." said Gōsuto deciding Minato was on their side. "It's better than wasting my time searching this area." Gosuto walked towards the door or what was left of it to lead the way to the survivors.

Minato followed along behind him, with one of his special kunai still in his hand. "You may want to put that away for now at least. I can tell you if someone's coming. The rain's cleared up and I can smell everything now." said Gōsuto thinking the survivors may not want to see someone coming with a weapon in hand. "Hm.. good point." said Minato putitng his Kunai away. Gōsuto lead Minato to a tree and bush covered area and began pushing aside some of the bush with his nose showing a small dirt path that lead to a large cave near the village. "Hm...so they've been staying hidden in a cave, huh..?" said Minato as he followed Gōsuto along. "Yeah it's well hidden unless you know where it is and it's always been an evacuation route for the children during the attacks ... just they were caught off guard.. " said Gōsuto as his ears folded back looking a bit sad by something. "Anyway Michiko is the least wounded so she's been caring for her mate and the others even though shes been hit pretty hard emotionally..." "I see... I can't blame her, this is terrible... I've also scattered toads around the village as well, they'll come and let me know if they find any other survivors." said Minato. "Well... she's lost her children as have a few others.." said Gōsuto sadly.

Once inside the cave Minato could see a small handful of survivors, among them was Satoshi the village leader. He looked to be pretty weak but was still alive. Tending to the others with what little supplies she had was a beautiful wolf demon woman with short silver hair and green eyes. Her eyes were the same as Shiori's. "I see, Michiko is Shiori's mother... then I can give her some form of good news.." thought Minato piecing together that she was Shiori's mother. Amoung the handful of survivors were a few children they were huddled close to the adults for warmth but seemed to be mostly unharmed. Leaned against a wall was a man who Shiori resembled greatly. He had long silver hair and blue eyes. Across his chest were some bloodied bandages showing he had a injury across his chest. "Did you find the bandages Gōsuto?... Toshi-kun's need to be changed as do several others... " said the woman softly. It was clear in her voice that she was forcing herself to be strong for the others when she would rather be mourning the loss of her children. Minato removes his pack and takes out the field medical kit handing it to her. "Here, you can use this." said Minato softly. "Thank you." said the woman bowing a bit before taking the medical kit.

She quickly headed over to the man and began removing the old bandages showing a gash across his chest. Gōsuto walked over and layed down with the children to provide some more warmth for them. Minato walked to the exit of the cave and made handseals. "Summoning Jutsu!" he shouted as he slamed his palm on the ground. Just outside the cave he summoned a truly massive toad with red colored skin and dark red markings, wearing an oversized Tanto and haori. Also puffing on a pipe. Gōsuto blinked seeing the massive toad while the kids tugged on their parents arms while pointing at the toad. "...Minato... what's going on?" asked the toad. Michiko finished putting fresh bandages on the man and then went to check on the children next. The man winced as he forced himself to sit up a bit. "Gamabunta, I need you to protect this cave with all of your strength from any enemy who might approach.." said Minato. "Hm...?" was all the giant frog said as he listened to Minato. "We need to keep the surviving members of the Sayomi clan absolutely safe." said Minato glad that Shiori wasn't completely alone. "The Tunder Demons might not be back for a while. Toshi-kun and Satoshi fought their leader last night." said Michiko while she tended to the wounded. "Yeah we did quite a number on him. They probably think we're all dying anyway... were it not for Michiko-chan we probably would be... she's been tending to us even though she has every right to find a quiet spot to mourn the loss of our children." said the man Michiko had finished treating.

Minato figured him to be Toshi and to be Shiori's father. "You never can be too cautious, about your children though..." said Minato as he walked back over to them. " That's not, entirely true." Toshi blinked a bit wondering what he meant. "But... we havn't found either one of them..." said Michiko sadly. "I've noticed that you both look a lot like a young girl that I saved here just yesterday, she says her name is Shiori." said Minato smiling softly. Michiko's eyes lit up a bit as a smile crept across her face. "That's our youngest.. is she alright?..." said Toshi wincing when he tried to prop himself up against the cave wall. Gōsuto perked up a bit as well showing he had been sad about the loss of Shiori. " Perfectly fine, our medics tended to her she didn't have any injuries just a few scratches and cleaned her up. Myself and my wife Kushina have been taking care of her since then. She is enrolled in the Konoha Ninja Academy." said Minato smiling. "Thank you." said Toshi glad that she was safe and being well looked after. Michiko was smiling and her silver wolf tail was wagging slightly showing she was happy that her daughter was safe and sound. "It is good to hear my grandaughter is alright. She should be safe there till we can all recover." spoke Satoshi showing he had been listening quietly. "You can visit when you like, thanks to my student Kakashi, Shiori simply believes that her family is on the run from hunters and that you sent her to us to become a fine Shinobi." said Minato smiling and explaining the situation a bit. "I'll help her as best I can, and with training I think she could become a fine ninja."

Michiko and Toshi both blinked a bit wondering why she didn't know of the attack. Minato noticed the confused look on their faces. "I can see how that must create some confusion, when we found her, she was in a feral rage... I'm afraid that I had no choice but to seal away the memory that triggered it... At least until she learns how to control that power." said Minato. "But it seems a lot more was sealed away than I first thought.. she doesn't seem to remember a whole lot about you or your village." "It's for the best." said Satoshi calmly. "But it could be quite some time before she remembers. Something horrible must have happened to trigger a feral rage like that in such a small child." "At least she's safe from those horrible thunder demons..." said Michiko accepting that it may be sometime before her daughter remembers her. "You have my word that I will protect her so long as I live, I'll keep her safe for you." said Minato promising to protect Shiori. "Thank you." said Michiko smiling softly. Toshi remained silent thinking about some things. "You don't have to thank me, I'm a sucker when it comes to children, haha." said Minato smiling and laughing a bit. "Shiori's a handful though." said Michiko trying to give Minato a heads up. "You don't have to tell me that, last night when Kushina-Chan was brushing her hair, she accidentally hit a knot and Shiori bit her. Kushina whacked her on the head so hard that she had swirly eyes." said Minato sweat dropping a bit as he remembered that.

Satoshi laughed at that. "She gets her hard head from her father." said Satoshi still laughing a bit. "And it's served me well." joked Toshi who winced when he laughed a bit. "Though now that I think about it you'll probably have your hands full once she becomes a teenager... and spring rolls around... " mused Satoshi as he rubbed his chin slightly. "Hm?" said Minato blinking a bit. "What'll be the problem then?" "Mating season..." said Toshi as he realized what his father was getting at. "I didn't realize that wolf demons had a mating season." said Minato sweatdropping a bit. "It gets easier to deal with when we get older but... well she'll get a craving for meat so keep it in stock... and kinda keep an eye on her the meat will distract her if she takes a liking to someone. Otherwise she'll be wanting to claim them as a mate... and then there's the weak demons who will probably follow her smell.. wanting to claim her themselves..." said Satoshi explaining it the best he could. "I see..." said Minato sweatdropping a bit. "It wont be hard to notice who she takes a liking to either bluntness tends to run in the family at least on my side." said Toshi nodding a bit. "There should be some scrolls in the village that you can take for when she unlocks the Okami no Me." said Satoshi thinking on what could be done to help Shiori.

Toshi picked up a nearby stick and began to draw an eye in the dirt. The iris and sclera seemed to all be one rather than seperated like normal. Connected to the pupil were several squiggly lines and behind them more squiggly lines that all seemed to web a bit in how they were positioned. "Just starting out it's blue like a new born wolf pups eyes. Later once its matured it becomes red and the lines gain a fiery orange color." said Toshi explaining to Minato what it'd look like. Minato nodded showing he understood. "Right.. I'll do that, then." he said knowing she'd need help to learn to use it properly. "And she tends to get fleas." said Michiko smiling a bit a sweatdrop rolling down the side of her head. "Flea baths, got it." said Minato blinking a bit. "And never tell her it's a flea bath... she tends to hide cause she hates how it makes her smell. Usually she'll hide in a closet or under a bed." said Michiko going to help with the deer. "Pretty basic places to hide, but alright." said Minato sweat dropping a bit. "She mixes it up though. Once she thinks you're sure she wont hide somewhere else she'll do just that and hide somewhere else." said Toshi shifting a bit and wincing. "Looking after a wolf demon child is like looking after a puppy just not as much mess to clean up."

Minato watched as Michiko worked on skinning the deer. "Hm... the Third Hokage believes that the Thunder Demons must have been working with someone if they were able to do this. He claims that the thunder demons have never been that smart before." mused Minato as he tried to think who the Thunder Demon Tribe had been working with. "He's right. The Thunder Demon Tribe is ruthless and merciless... for them nothing is more important or honorable than battle. They view humans in little self esteem and like most demons little respect for half demons." said Satoshi agreeing with Hiruzen's thoughts on the matter. "Our clan try to get along with humans and have no issues what's so ever with half demons... so they view us as weak and often hunt us for sport." "Do you know of anyone the Thunder Demons might work with?" asked Minato as he frowned a bit hearing how the thunder demons were. "That could be anyone... there's the Panther Tribe... the moth demon clan led by Hyoga and his son Menomaru... Princess Abi and her demon birds..." said Toshi listing off a few of their enemies. "Jiro wouldn't... even if he hates us now I know he wouldn't go to them not after they killed his mate..." said Satoshi his ears folding down. "Hmm? Jiro?" asked Minato curiously. "My younger brother... he's a missing nin now... because he broke our clans rule.." said Toshi sadly. "I see..." said Minato understanding this was the missing nin the village had been alerted about.

Minato could see Toshi still cared about his younger brother but it was also clear he understood there was no way to change what had been done. Toshi nodded still keeping his ears folded back. "He even killed a few of our clan during his escape..." said Satoshi. Minato remained silent as he listened to them. "We're not on good terms with a lot of demons... mostly for our views on humans. Some like the moth demons see our views as "eccentric" while others like like Abi or the Thunder Demon Tribe see them as disgusting." said Michiko laying out the deer pelt starting the process of making a blanket out of it. "I see, well... We're still allies, and the Third Hokage will want to know that you're alive so that we can continue to protect you." said Minato smiling to them. Michiko let out a sigh as she knew the hide wouldnt be ready for use as a blanket for a few days after she finished tanning it. "Gōsuto I need you to go back to the village ruins and try to find some blankets... the meat from the deer should last us a few days but we need blankets now for the little ones." said Michiko tending to the hide. "Right. I'll be back as soon as I can." said Gōsuto standing up and heading towards the exit. Gamabunta moved aside showing he had been listening. "We can hide out in the caves and lick our wounds for a while but I'm not sure how long that will last... we're no strangers to surviving in the forests... but before there was more of us..." sighed Satoshi looking to the remaining wolf demons.

Minato took out one of his special kunai, spinning it on his index finger then he grabed it by the handle, flipping it around with the handle toward Satoshi. "Take this, then." said Minato holding it out to him. "Hm?" said Satoshi blinking a little. "It's a special kunai. It's marked with a formula that alerts me when it's thrown." said Minato smiling. "Thank you for your help." said Satoshi accepting the kunai with a soft smile. "No need to thank me. If you're ever in trouble, just throw it, and I'll be here 'in a flash'." said Minato smiling still. "Also Shiori has a slight fear of spiders..." said Michiko changing the subject back to her daughter. "Slight?" snorted Toshi in amusement. "She pushed her brother on top of a spider just to get away from it." "Ehm... d-duely noted." said Minato blinking a bit. "She's allergic to kiwi and ant bites." said Michiko going full mother mode and telling Minato everything she could think of that he'd need to know. "Right, right." said Minato as he listened. "I guess I should write this down." "Yeah that'd be good Michiko-chan will talk your ear off if you're not careful." said Satoshi only to get a slight glare from Michiko. Satoshi smiled sheepishly at her which made her roll her eyes a bit. "Shiori's ears are a bit of a weak point if you scratch them she tends to behave herself." said Michiko going back to listing off things Minato needed to know.

Minato pulled a notepad out of his pack and started writing this all down. "That'll come in handy." thought Minato glad to have a way to get her to behave. Michiko nodded and continued to list off things such as Shiori having a strong stubborn streak. "Well, uhm...this very long list of things is going to be very helpful, especially for Kushina-Chan." said Minato sweatdropping a bit. Michiko smiled as she found a spot where sunlight shone in and stretched the deer skin out in the sunlight. "Told you she'd talk your ear off." muttered Toshi in an attempt to avoid another glare. "Well, ehm, I don't mind." said Minato putting the notepad away. "Good luck with that pup, Shiori." said Gōsuto as he came in with four dry blankets on his back. "I'll probably need it." said Minato with a sweatdrop. Michiko took the blankets and started giving them out to the children to keep them warm. "She pulled my ears once she was about three maybe four... I bit her she never did it again." said Gōsuto as he layed down next to Toshi. "That must be where she gets biting people from... well I can guarantee she'll never bite Kushina-Chan again though." said Minato smiling a bit. Satoshi had an amused look on his face at hearing that. "Well... tell Hiruzen we'll be here if he ever needs our help." said Satoshi as he got comfortable so to rest. "I'll be sure to inform him, sir." said Minato. "Gamabunta." "Hm?" said Gamabunta sounding a bit bored.

The wolf demon children curled up together under a large blanket saving the three other blankets for the adults that survived. "Stay with them until your chakra runs out and you have to return to Mount Myoboku, so they have a little protection." said Minato smiling softly as he saw the children sharing. "Alright." said Gamabunta puffing on his pipe a bit. Minato made a mental note that there were twelve survivors not counting Shiori, with that many left the clan would eventually repopulate back to it's old numbers given enough time. Minato headed out going to the village ruins to find the scrolls mentioned hoping they were still there. Searching the village took a bit of time but he eventually found the scrolls. They weren't as large as he figured they would be so that meant he could store them in his pack to get them back to the village. Minato quickly headed back to Konoha knowing until it was time Shiori learned to use her Okami no Me the Third Hokage would keep the scrolls safe.

Minato placed the scrolls he'd found on Hiruzen's desk. "So aside from Shiori at least twelve others survived including her parents and her grandfather, Satoshi Sayomi." said Minato finishing up his report. Hiruzen was glad to hear that the Sayomi clan had not been wiped out completely. "Good work Minato. Hopefully young Shiori can come to terms with what ever triggered her feral rage and be able to remember her family again. " said Hiruzen smiling glad that she still had her family. "Thank you sir. I should head home now Shiori should be getting out of school soon. I just hope she hasn't bitten anyone else today..." said Minato remembering she had bit some poor child. Hiruzen nodded not fully sure he wanted to know about that biting Minato mentioned. Minato quickly headed home noting that clouds were moving in and that it would rain soon. "At least these clouds look normal.. but it does look like it'll come pouring down soon." thought Minato as he walked.


	5. Thunderstorm

_Author's note: Ok I had a little trouble with this one. But I think it turned out alright. I should have another chapter or two (hopefully) tomorrow_

Minato made it home just as the rain started to pour down. "I'm home Kushina-chan. Is Shiori back yet? It's really pouring down out there." said Minato glad he made it inside before he got soaked. "No not yet. She should be home soon though." said Kushina smiling as she came to welcome Minato home. Minato smiled and kissed Kushina before checking to see what time it was. "Hmmm... she should have been home just after I got home." said Minato starting to worry a bit. Lightning struck followed by a loud roll of thunder. "Maybe we should go look for her..." said Kushina starting to worry too. "Stay here in case she comes home. I'll go look for her." said Minato heading to the door and grabbing an umbrella. Kushina nodded as Minato headed out into the rain. He decided to check by the school first and see if the teacher saw which way she had gone. Walking as quickly as he could with the umbrella over him he made it to the school just in time to see the teacher getting ready to leave. "Excuse me. Did Shiori head home or leave with someone?" asked Minato. "No she left by herself and said she could find her way home on her own... said she would just use her nose to find it." said the teacher. "Thanks..." said Minato heading off searching along the path he figured Shiori would take. He didn't see her on the way here but maybe he missed something.

He hoped she was alright her first day in the village and it clearly wasn't shaping out to be a good one. "Shiori!" he called out hoping she'd hear is voice. If she stayed out too long in this she'd get sick. He crossed paths with some of the children she'd been at school with today and none of them had seen her with anyone that she headed off by herself. "Where could she be...? I don't think anyone could have kidnapped her... well at least not anyone from outside the village.." thought Minato getting even more worried. He checked every place he could think of and stopped to ask anyone he saw if they had seen a small girl with wolf ears and a tail come through. Each person he asked said they hadn't seen her or anyone like her walk by which only fed the worry he had. He sighed as he walked past a tree he hadn't checked before and heard a slight whimper. Looking over to the tree he saw Shiori cowering under it shaking badly with her hands over her ears. "Shiori, it's not good to stay out in the rain... You'll catch a cold..." said Minato softly glad to see she was alright. Hearing his voice she quickly hugged him around the waist clearly terrified. Minato blinked a bit as he realized the attack left her with a fear of thunder and lightning. "It's alright... you're safe I promise..." said Minato doing his best to comfort her.

Shiori whimpered a little but seemed to stop shaking at least. "Come on, let's go home and get you dried off before you get sick." said Minato taking her small hand in his and leading her home under the umbrella. Shiori stayed close to him with her ears folded flat against her head in hopes she wouldn't have to hear the thunder anymore. Lightning struck followed by a loud clap of thunder which made Shiori yelp and squeeze Minato's hand. "It's alright we're almost home." said Minato smiling softly to her. Shiori kept up still hanging on to his hand. Once they got home Minato opened the door and Shiori darted inside and hid under the dining room table. Kushina blinked as she saw Shiori dart past her. "What's wrong with her?" asked Kushina as she blinked a bit. "She's afraid of the storm..." said Minato heading over to the table and crouching down to Shiori's eye level. "I'll go get a towel for her.." said Kushina noticing Shiori was dripping all over the floor and smelled like wet dog basiclly. Minato scratched behind one of Shiori's ears and watched as she relaxed a bit. He smiled in amusement when her leg began to kick a little bit. Kushina came back with a large fluffy towel and held in her giggles at the cute sight in front of her. Shiori was leaning into Minato's hand enjoying the ear scratches just like a puppy would. Kushina brought the towel over to them and wrapped Shiori in it.

Minato smiled and started to help Shiori dry off. She had stopped shaking and managed to smile a bit which was good. "It's alright Shiori it's just a storm it'll pass soon." said Minato as he dried Shiori's head. "O-okay..." said Shiori finally speaking. "So how was your first day? Did you make any new friends?" said Kushina trying to keep Shiori from thinking about the storm. Shiori nodded a bit. "I met a girl named Kurenai and a boy named Asuma." said Shiori her tail wagging a bit. Another clap of thunder sounded and Shiori jumped a bit. "Really? Asuma is the Third Hokage's Son, did you know that?" he asked her as he continued to dry her. Shiori shook her head no as she listened starting to relax a bit. "Yeah, Asuma is the Third Hokage's son, he'll be a great Shinobi someday." said Minato as he finished drying her. Shiori was fluffier now than she had been before. Minato smiled and gently scratched her ear again which made Shiori's leg kick a little bit. Kushina giggled at how cute it looked. He continued to scratch her ear while smiling. "Why don't you go take a nap, we'll wake you when dinner is ready." said Minato smiling softly. Shiori nodded her head as she rubbed her eyes. Minato stood back up as Shiori headed to her room yawning cutely. Kushina began to work on dinner while smiling. "So how many people did she bite?" asked Kushina jokingly.

Minato sweatdropped a bit as he scratched the back of his head. "Just one. They pulled her tail." said Minato. Kushina sweatdropped clearly not expecting that Shiori actually had bit someone. "Well, it was bound to happen eventually." said Minato. "Well at least she didn't bite everyone I guess." said Kushina smiling. Minato nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that would have been bad." he said watching her prepare dinner. Kushina worked on slicing and preparing vegetables to go with dinner. Minato sat down at the table to get out of her way and watched while thinking about some things. "What are you thinking about?" she asked as she took some marinated salmon slices out of a bag and placed them on a foil wrapped back rack. "Hm? Just different things, mainly Kakashi, though..." said Minato as he watched Kushina. "Hmm.. well Shiori seemed pretty fond of him already." said Kushina smiling. "Yeah, Kakashi just seems so... distant, I guess." said Minato agreeing with her. "Well he could still be coming to terms with the loss of his father... he's all alone now..." said Kushina taking out some rice to prepare with dinner. "Hmm.. yes, that's true... " said Minato thinking about Kakashi's situation.

Kushina set to preparing some rice as she kept an eye on the salmon. "If you think about it. Shiori and him making friends with each other might help him. She's all alone too..." said Kushina checking the salmon then turning it over and brushing some of the marinade she had left along it. Minato nodded as he thought more about it. She turned back to the rice and fluffed it a bit with a fork once it was ready then set to cooking the vegetables. It wasn't long before she was mixing the rice and the vegetables together and placing them on three plates. Once the salmon was done she placed a slice on top of each plate of rice and vegetables. Minato stood up and headed towards Shiori's room only for her to meet him halfway. Her nose twitched cutely as she sniffed the air smelling what Kushina had fixed for dinner. "Oh, good, you're awake!" said Minato smiling. "I was about to come get you up, dinner's ready." "It smells yummy." said Shiori smiling as her tail wagged cutely. The storm had calmed down to a drizzle which didn't seem to bother Shiori at all showing it was just the thunder and lightning that bothered her. Once they were seated Kushina set out the plates and sat down to eat as well. Shiori began to eat the salmon happily but ignored the vegetables. "You should eat your vegetables Shiori." said Kushina noticing Shiori wasn't touching them. Shiori blinked a bit and poked a piece of broccoli. "It looks like a small tree... you don't eat trees." she said blinking a bit. "Broccoli is good for you, it helps you get stronger and bigger." said Minato smiling. Shiori blinked again and picked a piece up sniffing it. "It smells eadible... but it still looks like a small helpless tree." she muttered not sure if she should eat it or not. Kushina sweatdropped at how stubborn Shiori was being about her vegetables.

Minato took a bite of salmon with broccoli and rice. Shiori after seeing Minato eat what she had dubbed the small defenseless tree decided it must be safe to eat and started to eat her own which made Kushina smile. Minato continued to eat glad to see that Shiori caved in and ate the vegetables. Shiori soon finished her plate smiling happily. "Alright, you should go get some sleep now, you have to go to school tomorrow." said Minato smiling. Shiori nodded clearly looking forward to going to school. "Night." she said happily as she headed to her room. "Good night." said Kushina and Minato both.


End file.
